Once Upon a Time sneak peek: Emma reveals reason behind mysterious plan

The whole time Emma has been plotting away as the Dark One, it’s all been about … Hook?

In a sneak peek from Sunday’s two-hour Once Upon a Time, Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) confronts Arthur (Liam Garrgian), who gets the upper hand. But before the king can kill the pirate, Dark Swan (Jennifer Morrison) steps in to save him with the full-formed Excalibur sword. Hook uses this opportunity to get to the bottom of Emma’s plan, though he probably wasn’t expecting the shocking revelation to be about him

The battle for what ultimately amounts to be the ability to free Emma from the darkness will come to a head in Sunday’s special two-hour episode of Once Upon a Time.

With Merlin (Elliott Knight) now under Arthur’s (Liam Garrigan) control, the Sorcerer gives Emma (Jennifer Morrison) a pretty hefty ultimatum: turn over the Dark One’s dagger or your family will perish. “Arthur has a real economical ability to pinpoint a character’s weakness extremely quickly and his doing that will put one of the Charmings in grave danger,” Ginnifer Goodwin teases.

The threat leads to a showdown of epic proportions between Emma and our heroes against Arthur, Merlin and Zelena (Rebecca Mader). “It’s a detour from the plan,” Morrison says. “It’s not what Emma was expecting, and she now has to adapt, adjust and make a new turn in order to also save her family and stay on track with her plan.” But her plan, whatever it may be — it involves Hook (Colin O’Donoghue), according to this sneak peek — will have severe consequences that lead to a shocking revelation about what really happened in Camelot.

Though the situation is dire, it’s a great opportunity to see the Charmings alongside their daughter — something many fans have expressed this season is lacking. “I didn’t think of us as not having a lot of interaction,” Goodwin says. “The Charmings have just been trying to navigate her and figure out how to best support her. They never feel threatened by her. For them, it’s a matter of helping her get what she wants and trusting her to do that in an intelligent way, and also finding a way to save her without frankly threatening her.”

“It’s very complicated, because they need to save their daughter,” Josh Dallas adds. “They need to try to get her back into the light somehow.”

Back in Storybrooke, the situation is made more complicated when Zelena’s pregnancy suddenly accelerates and the baby arrives, causing strife for Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Robin Hood (Sean Maguire). “Regina really establishes the rules,” Parrilla says. “This is how it’s going to be, you can see your daughter, but under strict supervision. One of us has to be present, meaning Regina or Robin Hood. There is still a huge level of distrust when it comes to Zelena and Regina. I just don’t think she feels that Zelena is going to make the right choices, and she doesn’t. She wants that baby to be wicked and she’s going to teach it how to be wicked. She’s going to take it and run back to Oz. Regina and Robin Hood are going to do everything to stop that.”

“Robin being a bit of a family guy, he’s very concerned about the fact that you’ve got this dreadful, all but evil person who seems to be without redemption,” Maguire says. “It’s going to be a very difficult season for them to figure out what the best solution is. Also, the show’s about hope. We’re trying to believe there can be some redemption for Zelena, but we’ll have to wait and see if there’s anything in there worth saving. The difficulty for Robin is she’s the mother of the child. Under normal circumstances, he’d break his code and kill her, but then you’re killing the mother of your baby and that’s getting a bit biblical.”

But, in this case, Parrilla doesn’t think Zelena will change her ways. “Which makes me sad,” says the actress. “It’s like Cruella [Victoria Smurfit] — she was unredeemable as well, and she ended up dying as a villain. I don’t know what Zelena’s fate is, but I would hope that she could come around and they could be sisters. That’s a happy ending, and I just don’t know if they’re meant to have one.”

Meanwhile, the two-hour outing also features a big Merida (Amy Manson) storyline as she teams up with Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Ruby (Meghan Ory) to avenge her father’s death. “Merida returns to DunBroch to find out from the witch from Brave that her father owes a debt to the witch,” executive producer Edward Kitsis says. “It is up to Merida to repay it or lose her kingdom. This will be her first challenge as queen, so she enlists an old friend, who is Mulan. We’re going to get a flashback about her and how she became a warrior and how she knows Mulan.”

Fortunately, for those who have been missing Mulan and Ruby — or MulanRouge, as fans like to call them — “We’re also going to get where Mulan has been for the last year,” Kitsis says. “They’re going to team up with Ruby and we’re going to see where Ruby has been for the last year, because we know she has not been in Storybrooke.”

EW just broke the news that more of our Disney favorites will be hanging out in the Enchanted Forest this season on Once Upon a Time! Episode 13 titled “Labor of Love” will feature young Herc, on a quest to be the greatest hero of all time (and in love with a princess). Meg is a “no-nonsese adventurer” who somehow winds up in a dungeon. Hmm. We have a feeling these two are going to end up together somehow … at least, we hope they do!

Jonathan Whitesell has signed on to play Hercules and Kacey Rohl will play Meg.

Once Upon a Time's mid-season finale is sailing our way this Sunday, and -- thanks to our double dose of Dark Ones and a mission to the underworld -- it's guaranteed to be one hell of an episode.

To get you even more pumped for all the action, we called up everyone's favorite "piercing-eyed, smoldering pirate," Colin O'Donoghue, to bring you exclusive details on Hook's transition back into a perfect-haired villain, exploring the relationship between Killian and his father, and why Emma has eclipsed Milah as the love of his life!

We haven't talked since Comic-Con, where I realize now that Jennifer Morrison gave the biggest spoiler ever when she joked that Emma was going to "suck [Hook] into the darkness" with her. How long have you known that you were going to become a Dark One?Colin O'Donoghue: I guess it happened! [Laughs] To be honest with you, we didn’t really know at Comic-Con. It was up in the air as to what way it could go, and with a show like this, there's so many different things that can happen with each of the characters because we’ve got 22 episodes to do. But, I think the [executive producers, Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz,] like to keep big secrets like that for just before we're going to shoot the episode and then you kind of go, 'What?! Are you serious?' It was sort of a logical step for Hook in a sense. Not that he wanted this, but this is a character who already had been predisposed to the darkness and now to be able to go and delve into that is good. Also, Hook is character who kind of divides the fans in a lot of ways. I mean, some people really like him, and some people really hate him because of that very reason, and I think it was fun for me to be able to explore that side of him again.

Your portrayal as a Dark One has been so fun to watch, and fans are particularly loving your new hair. Talk to me about the process of changing your look and your demeanor to play a Dark One.CO: Oh, thank you very much! Thank you. [Laughs] The process of changing my hair was pretty simple, it was just parted on the other side, I guess. As for the approach -- look, when I came onto this show, I was essentially a villain, and that was sort of what I spent a lot of time in season two exploring. He was a little bit more charming, and probably more of a bad boy, but definitely now, as a Dark One, he's more of a sociopath, more malevolent, and enjoying the fact that he is like that. I think deep down inside, there is a tiny, tiny little part of him that hasn't quite fully turned dark and that could still love, but he's also just incredibly, incredibly wibble off with Emma for having done the one thing that he asked her not to do. He knows that he never had the willpower to be able to fight [the darkness], and he just sort of fully gives into it. Well, he had no choice; the darkness doesn’t give you much of a choice. He never really had the opportunity to say, 'Nah, no thanks. I'll stay as the old Hook. Once he'd been changed, he'd been changed.

You mentioned how incredibly frustrated Hook is with Emma, but she really only had two choices: Hook becomes a Dark One or Hook dies. Would Hook really have rather died than become a Dark One?CO: Honestly, yes. I think he would have. When he was basically on his death bed he said to her, 'Let me go,' and he meant it. I think because the Dark One is the one thing he's always hated most in his life, I think that he would have definitely preferred to die. I'm glad that he didn’t because that means that I still get to be on this show, [Laughs] but I think for Hook as character, I think he really would have preferred death.

What is Dark Hook's goal as we move into this Sunday's mid-season finale? CO: Well, we've sort of teased in the teasers for the next episode that Hook, like all Dark Ones, wants to bring the Dark Ones back and use people to open the portal back to hell, and that's what the darkness does. In doing so, that essentially would allow him to get his revenge on Rumpelstiltskin because he would be one of the people who would be sent to hell, or to the underworld. That's his overriding goal. Hook understands that the darkness is using him, but as long as he gets what he wants, then he's happy to do that.

Do you feel like becoming a Dark One and wanting to seek revenge on Rumple has, in turn, reignited the flame that he once carried for Milah?CO: Oh, no. Milah is sort of this whole different thing. She's a love that he had and he truly loved her, but he now has a whole different new love that is such a huge part of who he is -- and maybe even more so because they're so kindred. That's not to say that he's not incredibly annoyed with Emma, but I think deep down, as we've seen with Rumpelstiltskin and even with Emma, you can still love somebody. It's just how you treat that person is the problem when you're the Dark One.

So you're saying that no matter how annoyed Hook is with Emma right now, there's still hope for Hook and Emma to have their future together?CO: Well, I'm not sure that I'm saying that. I'm just saying that they have the propensity to love. Maybe there is and maybe there isn't, but they are both Dark Ones, so maybe they still could love each other. Who knows? You'll have to watch and see. [Laughs]

Earlier this season, I chatted with Adam and Eddy and they revealed that we'll be delving deeper into Hook's past in the second half of this season. What was your reaction when you found out that was going to be happening and what can fans expect? CO: I was delighted to get to explore more of who Hook is and where he came from because that's something that we haven't really done before. I know that we saw a little bit with Liam, but it was nice because we're going to meet Hook's father. That was a very important thing for me to get to explore because he, obviously, was such an important part of forming who Killian Jones came to be as a person. It's interesting, but I can't really tease too much about it because it's quite spoilery, but the fans should expect to see some very interesting stuff between Hook and his father.

Lastly, Colin, what is the one thing that you want Once upon a Time fans to know before they tune into this Sunday's mid-season finale? CO: They should be prepared for a heartbreaking, heart-wrenching, huge, epic mid-season finale.

Once Upon a Time's mid-season finale airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Over the last five seasons, the dynamic between Savior-turned-Dark One Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) and former Evil Queen Regina Mills (Lana Parrilla) has evolved into one of the most fascinating and championed relationships on Once Upon a Time.

Throughout the first season, the two found themselves at odds not just because of the curse, but because of their son Henry (Jared Gilmore), as both mothers wanted what was best for their son, even if that meant using unconventional methods — like Regina trying to poison Emma with a tainted apple turnover. But as the years went by, the two were drawn toward working together as bigger and badder villains arose and Regina slowly turned toward the light.

“I feel like they have a really true friendship,” Morrison tells EW. “It’s just awesome to see two strong women have a great friendship on television, because usually you have two strong women fighting each other, or angry at each other, or having a catfight. You have these two women who have fought so hard to be the people that they want to be, and they’ve gone through challenges and both fail in certain ways and pick themselves up and move on, but they now have a real friendship and they really have each other’s backs and really are there for each other. I think that’s a really great thing to see on television.”

Despite Emma’s own turn to the dark side during the first half of the season, their friendship has gone uninterrupted. “Regina doesn’t really hold anything against Emma,” Parrilla says. “Emma became the Dark One because she sacrificed herself for Regina, so Regina feels obligated to help Emma in any way that she needs. She sees that everything that Emma was doing was for the greater good. She accepts that. They’re back to being friends and really family. They’re moving forward and again working together to try to find Hook [Colin O’Donoghue] and get out of the Underworld as fast as possible.”

“Regina, because she was really dark in the past, understands what Emma’s going through,” Morrison adds. “She’s one of the people that, even though she challenged her at times while she was the Dark One, she didn’t stop believing that Emma could be good and didn’t stop believing that Emma wouldn’t someday once again be the person she knew she was.”

With their relationship looking to be stronger than ever in the second half of the season, some OUAT fans are still keen to see something more between them. Among the dozens of ‘ships across the series — OutlawQueen, CaptainSwan, Rumbelle, Snowing, MulanRouge — is that of Emma and Regina, otherwise known as SwanQueen. “I always see their relationship as best friends and sisters,” Parrilla says. “I’m nervous to say that because there are so many SwanQueens out there that see something else, and I don’t want to take that away from them.”

Still, Morrison has high praise for how OUAT bosses Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis have developed this relationship into something people should aspire to. “The one thing I always say is that we’ve got to be good to each other,” Morrison says. “When you have examples of a friendship like that on television, that’s a good thing to be putting in front of people, because it is exactly what we need. We need women building each other up, supporting each other and being there for each other, even when we have made mistakes, and even when we have had falling outs at times. I think that’s an important for the time that we’re in.”

'Once Upon a Time': Get an Exclusive First Look at Hook’s Fiery Descent

See THR's sneak peek at what Hook looks like when the show returns from winter hiatus.

If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the underworld.

When Once Upon a Time returns, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) & Co. will embark on a mission to save Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) after his untimely death in the winter finale, and The Hollywood Reporter has an exclusive sneak peek at how the pirate’s look has changed since his descent.

In season five’s new key art, seen below, Hook's piercing blue eyes and guyliner survived the trip to the underworld, and he’s heating up the screen with a fiery apple in front of him.

Even though Hook hasn’t changed much physically, co-creator Adam Horowitz warns that Killian may not be the same person he was in Storybrooke. "He’s gone through a lot, as has Emma — as have all of them — so no one’s the same," he revealed, but notes that all of the darkness was purged when Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) became the Dark One again.

‘Once Upon A Time’ Casts Gaston in ‘Beauty & the Beast’ Storyline (EXCLUSIVE)

“Once Upon A Time” has found Belle’s dangerous suitor, Gaston.

The chiseled hunter will be played by “True Blood” alum Wes Brown who’s been cast in an upcoming episode, Variety has learned exclusively.

Gaston’s storyline will take viewers back to Belle’s (Emilie de Ravin) time before she met Rumple (Robert Carlyle), furthering the exploration of “Once Upon A Time’s” twist on Gaston’s role in the “Beauty & the Beast” tale.

Previously, the role “Sir Gaston” was played by actor Sage Brocklebank, who appeared in one episode in “Once’s” first season.

The episode in which Brown’s Gaston will appear has not been set yet, though it will be during the back-half of the fifth season, which returns on Sunday, Mar. 6.

Aside from “True Blood,” Brown’s other TV credits include the CW’s “90210,” “Hart of Dixie,” “Private Practice” and NBC’s short-lived drama “Deception,” in which he was a series regular.